Saturday, November 15, 2014

West Oakland Project Combines Housing, New School

By Doug OakleyStaff Writerdoakley@bayareanewsgroup.comOAKLAND -- A West Oakland charter school is partnering with an affordable housing developer to combine academics and apartments by building a new $9.5 million school that will be finished in time for classes next fall.

Bridge Housing is building a new home for Vincent Academy elementary school at 2501 Chestnut Street near McClymonds High School. It will be across the street from Bridge's Chestnut Linden Court Apartments and in the vicinity of 700 other affordable housing units in the area.

Bridge spokeswoman Lyn Hikida said the developer hopes children living with families in those units will go to the new school.

School Head Kate Nicol said the idea is to combine the elementary school with nearby affordable housing so families don't have to drive out of the neighborhood every day to attend other schools.

"It's a new concept in community revitalization and from our perspective it makes so much sense to have the housing and schooling piece together," said Nicol, who added her school's current home on Union Street is way too small. "For the students I see coming here, it's really critical to have housing for them."

The school is being paid for with New Market Tax Credits from the community development arm of Chase, $2.6 million in donations and from a loan. Bridge already owns the land.

Vincent Academy started in 2011 and now has 143 students and will grow to 350 when it adds a fifth grade next year, Nicol said.

The housing and schooling partnership is new for Bridge, said Hikida.

"We've never built a charter school before, but this works out with our larger development goals," Hikida said. "We do affordable housing and this school is conveniently across from one of our new apartments buildings and we have over 700 units in West Oakland, so we can urge our tenants to attend Vincent."